By Newsweek
Oklahoma has become the 17th state in the United States to ban child marriage.
Child marriage is defined as a marriage where at least one party is under 18. The United Nations describes this as a human violation and a form of forced marriage.
In 2017, marriage for those under 18 was still legally attainable in all 50 states. Just short of a decade later, 17 states and Washington, D.C., have raised the legal age to 18 in all circumstances.
Between 2000 and 2018, nearly 300,000 children as young as 10 were legally married in the U.S. The majority of whom were girls wed to adult men, according to the nonprofit organization, Unchained at Last, which works to end child marriage in the United States.
“Oklahoma’s child marriage ban is another sign that the legal landscape is changing. It draws a clear line: marriage is an adult contract, and anything less invites risk. The national conversation has shifted from tradition and parental rights to a far more pressing question: whether minors can truly consent to a lifelong legal and financial contract when clear power imbalances often exist.
Arizona, meanwhile, still stands in the gray area. While reforms eliminated marriage under 16, 16- and 17-year-olds can still marry with parental consent; an exception that can blur the line between consent and pressure. Family courts see the real-world consequences tied to underage marriages including domestic violence, financial dependence, disrupted education, and limited legal options for minors seeking to leave unhealthy relationships. As more states adopt full bans, pressure will continue building on Arizona lawmakers to decide whether the current safeguards are sufficient or whether a clear 18-and-over standard is a more responsible path forward.”
-Kelsey Fischer, Rose Law Group Family Law Attorney
